Code Enforcement catches illegal dumping suspect in the act

Friday

Aug 29, 2014 at 10:56 AMAug 29, 2014 at 11:08 AM

STAFF REPORTS

APPLE VALLEY — Apple Valley Code Enforcement Officers cited and towed the vehicle of Fontana resident Salome Vidala on Thursday after watching him discard 20 to 25 large trash bags of insulation in an empty field behind the Kmart building near the corner of Bear Valley and Kiowa roads, town officials said.“Town code allows officers to tow vehicles that have been used in an illegal dumping case if the refuse being discarded measures more than one cubic yard,” Senior Code Enforcement Officer Jonathan Wood said in a news release.Vidala told Code Enforcement officers that the insulation came out of an old oven he picked up in Las Vegas. He said that he had taken the insulation out of the oven in order to recycle the metal from the unit and was on his way to dispose of the insulation when he got called in to work, according to the release.Officers said the suspect told them he decided to dump the insulation in the desert rather than take the time to dispose of it properly. Vidalia was given a $1,000 misdemeanor citation for illegal dumping; his vehicle was impounded for 30 days and he could face up to six months in jail.To report illegal dumping in Apple Valley or for more information on the Code Enforcement Department, visit www.AVCode.org or call 760-240-7000, extension 7560. Citizens can also report incidents on the Town’s “GoRequest” app for iPhone and Android.